

Prestige Junkie
TheAnkler.com
A weekly podcast hosted by The Ankler's awards editor Katey Rich, featuring lively and endlessly curious discussion of the film and television awards races and the business that surrounds them. Episodes will also include interviews with top awards contenders and the major players in the races that make Hollywood run.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 3, 2024 • 57min
Why Critics Are Now in Charge of Awards Buzz with Shirley Li, Plus John Magaro on the Long Career That Led to September 5
Shirley Li, a staff writer for The Atlantic, brings her expertise in analyzing the film awards race, explaining how critical buzz can make or break nominees. She shares insights on the evolving landscape of awards season, mentioning groups like the New York and LA Film Critics Associations. Actor John Magaro discusses his extensive career in indie films, highlighting his role in the thriller *September 5*, and explores the dynamics of collaboration and the challenges of Hollywood fame. The conversation blends humor with a candid look at the industry's realities.

Nov 26, 2024 • 1h 5min
What Video Game Awards Shows Can Teach the Oscars According to Matt Patches, Plus Eddie Redmayne on His Global Hit The Day of the Jackal
Matt Patches, Katey's old friend and co-host on the Fighting in the War Room podcast, joins to explain the emergence of the Game Awards, why the video game industry cares so much about them, and what Hollywood's awards shows might be able to learn from a much newer version of the format. Then Katey talks to Eddie Redmayne, who is spearheading the ambitious new spy series The Day of the Jackal but also reflecting on the 10 years that have passed since his Oscar win, and what he's learned about his own taste in movies in the process.Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd. Follow The Ankler.

Nov 19, 2024 • 52min
Inside the First Major Oscar Event of the Season, Plus Jesse Eisenberg on a Midlife Crisis at the Movies
Katey reunites with her former Little Gold Men co-host Rebecca Ford to recap the highlights of Sunday's Governors Awards, where Oscar hopefuls rubbed elbows and the Quincy Jones tribute had everybody in tears. Then Jesse Eisenberg talks about his inspirations for his film A Real Pain, why he only wants to write characters who are different from him, and when he'll find the time to write a song about South Sudan.Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd. Follow The Ankler.

Nov 12, 2024 • 49min
Danielle Deadwyler's History Lessons, Plus Movies to Bring You Hope
Katey and Richard Rushfield join forces to pick movies from across movie history that are guaranteed to leave you feeling hopeful, no matter what the news has in store. Then Katey talks to The Piano Lesson star Danielle Deadwyler about everything that goes into her tremendous performances, from her knack for stillness to how she built trust with The Piano Lesson director Malcolm Washington. Katey's list of Movies For Hope on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/kateyrich/list/movies-to-give-you-hope/Richard's list: https://letterboxd.com/rrushfield/list/movies-to-make-you-feel-ok-when-the-world/

Nov 4, 2024 • 55min
How the Election Will Impact the Oscar Race, No Matter How it Turns Out
Tyler Coates joins Katey to talk about why the Oscars and politics are so eternally entwined, and how no matter what happens in Tuesday's election, the impact will be felt throughout the season. The episode also includes a conversation with June Squibb, the 94-year-old star of the summertime hit Thelma, who has a lot of wisdom about tackling physical challenges small and large and putting her trust in a first-time director.Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd. Follow The Ankler.

Oct 29, 2024 • 47min
Kirsten Dunst on the Art of the Close-Up, and Michael Schulman on This Year’s Oscar Wars
Katey talks to Civil War star Kirsten Dunst about her powerful work in the Alex Garland thriller, and how she decides when it’s worth taking on a movie when she’s got two young boys demanding her attention at home. The episode also features a conversation with New Yorker staff writer and author Michael Schulman about the big narratives driving this year’s awards season, from the breakout stars to the movie that’s a metaphor for the Oscars themselves.Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd. Follow The Ankler.

Oct 22, 2024 • 1h 20min
Stephen and Evie Colbert, Tom Bernard, and an Oscar Race Deep Dive: Live From Montclair!
Listen in on our live panel event at the Montclair Film Festival, featuring awards season speculation from Chris Murphy and Chris Rosen and true insider insight from Sony Pictures Classics co-president and co-founder Tom Bernard. Then Katey sits down with Stephen Colbert, who hosts some of the most high profile onstage events of the festival, and his wife Evie McGee Colbert, the president of Montclair Film.Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd. Follow The Ankler.

Oct 15, 2024 • 1h
The Biggest Best Picture Questions with Chris Feil, Plus Morgan Neville on Throwing Out the Documentary Rulebook With 'Piece by Piece'
With the best picture race still anyone's game, This Had Oscar Buzz co-host Chris Feil joins Katey to ask the big questions that will determine the race, from how international voters play into it to what Clint Eastwood might have in store. Then, Katey talks to Morgan Neville, the Oscar-winning documentarian whose new film Piece by Piece he's calling a work of "creative nonfiction" than a documentary — though he finds all the rules about that pretty silly anyway.Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd. Follow The Ankler.

Oct 8, 2024 • 51min
Cristin Milioti's Ride Through "Crazy-Making" Hollywood
Now going toe to toe with Colin Farrell in the HBO series The Penguin, Cristin Milioti has emerged on the other side of the Hollywood strikes knowing more about what she wants from this business — even if she knows it's "crazy-making and bad for us all." The episode also includes a conversation with Vanity Fair's Chris Murphy about his recent cover story on Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and what to expect from an awards season full of musicals, including Emilia Perez, Moana 2, Mufasa and even the ill-fated Joker: Folie á Deux.Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd. Follow The Ankler.

Oct 1, 2024 • 49min
Inside the Handmade Magic of The Wild Robot
Chris Sanders, the writer and director of The Wild Robot, explains the groundbreaking technology that allows his animated film to look like it's hand-painted — because it is! Plus, Jordan Hoffman joins for a conversation about the New York Film Festival, the buzz around Nickel Boys and what makes this festival unlike any other in the fall schedule. Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd. Follow The Ankler.